Sailing Starcrossed
by gotdraco
Summary: Draco Malfoy is dying, and he desperately wants to sail before he dies. However, one Hermione Granger gets caught up in it all and just might accompany him. What will happen? What will she do if/when he dies? And what will Ron do when he finds out?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! The setting of this story will be explained in the beginning of it. Everything prior is completely canon. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and I most certainly don't own Harry Potter. Ha. I wish.**

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Hermione sighed, and looked out at the ocean through the giant bay windows that lined the back of her and Ron's house. The music of the waves hit her ears and she inhaled the salty sea breeze. Ron. He was away on an Auror mission. He was gone so much more lately. However, she somehow didn't find herself missing him. "I'm an awful wife." She muttered to herself.

Ron and Hermione had purchased a gigantic home in a muggle community when they were first married, three years after the Battle of Hogwarts. Now it was another three years later, and she didn't know what to do with herself. After the war she had wanted to become a healer, but Ron had discouraged her, saying that he would make enough money to support the both of them. And he did… But Hermione hated being idle and was constantly doing things to keep her mind busy.

She got up from her plush window seat and walked over to her father's old computer. He and her mother had been killed in a fishing accident in Australia. The computer had been in a box of his things that she had collected. Ron didn't understand it, but it made her feel safe and at home. She logged on and decided to check on Craigslist to see of anyone had replied to a boat that Ron wanted to sell. (He wanted to buy a bigger and better one, but Hermione had insisted that he get rid of the old one first.) "Finally," she said. After two weeks someone had asked for it.

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-2 Months earlier, Malfoy Manor-

"Sir, sir don't be mad. I'm sorry that these recent, um, 'problems' have gotten worse, but there is really, ah, nothi-" the short bumbling man was cut off.

"Look. I'm telling you that you're wrong. I'm not, I don't, I can't… You are one of the best healers out there, can you not fix me? Use magic! Make me better! Please…" Draco trailed off and looked pleadingly at the man in front of him.

"Mr. Malfoy… what you have is not 'fixable.' It is a muggle disease that magic can't fix. There is a reason that they haven't found a cure for it. I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do."

Draco sat down and closed his eyes. His breath was jagged, and tears were threatening to spill over. "How… How long?" he whispered.

"Five months."

The tears came out and he put his hands on his face. "Merlin. Merlin Merlin Merlin."

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-Present day, Weasly Mansion-

BAM. BAM. BAM. Hermione jumped up and let out a small shriek. She clamped her hands over her mouth and scolded her self for acting so girly. It was someone knocking on the door. Granted, it was someone knocking very loudly on the door. Mr. M was just coming to pick up his new boat. Mr. M. It had been so strange that he hadn't given his full name. As she made her way to the front door, she let her imagination run wild on who it could be.

"Maybe… He is a really old man with long white hair who wants to see the world… He would be kind and caring and he would come and drink tea with me. We would become good friends. But I would end up devastated because he would end up dying at sea…

Or maybe he is a handsome young man who is planning an extravagant date to propose to his equally beautiful girlfriend. However he sees me and instantly forgets about her and marries me instead!" She laughed.

"Or he could be a gang leader, dressed in all black and scars on his face… He's buying the boat so that he would have a place to keep his hostages. No, that sounds to much like a Deatheater…" She shuddered then put on a smile. She pulled open the door, and stared at the man behind it.

He was not an old man with long white hair, or a man wanting to propose. Nor was he a gang leader, and he looked too frail to be a Deatheater. He was very thin and slightly bent over. His hair was platinum blonde, but it didn't look very healthy. He pulled out a Kleenex and coughed into it. His cough sounded terrible, and it racked his whole body. He looked up and Hermione's heart went out to him. His skin was very pale and sickly, and his eyes were sunken and had dark lines under them.

She was about to say something, when she noticed that he looked very familiar. Was it? Could it actually be…

"Malfoy?"

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**I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, and I'm sorry that it is so short. The following chapters will definitely be longer. I just had to get everything set up.. oops. You don't want to hear my excuses, so I will stop now. Please review! It would make me so happy, and make the next chapter come so much faster! Thanks. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is the next chapter, and thanks for reading! Do I look like I own Harry Potter?**

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_He was very thin and slightly bent over. His hair was platinum blonde, but it didn't look very healthy. He pulled out a Kleenex and coughed into it. His cough sounded terrible, and it racked his whole body. He looked up and Hermione's heart went out to him. His skin was very pale and sickly, and his eyes were sunken and had dark lines under them._

_She was about to say something, when she noticed that he looked very familiar. Was it? Could it actually be… _

"_Malfoy?"_

His eyes widened. "Bloody hell. What in the name of Merlin have I gotten myself into this time? You know, I wanted it to be authentic. A _muggle_ boat. But noooooo. Of course it belongs to wizards. Of course it belongs to the golden trio. Of co-" he doubled over in a fit of coughing.

Hermione reached out and said, "Ah, why don't you come in, maybe I can get you something for your cough?"

Draco frowned. "I'll come in, and get the damn boat. I don't have time to look for another one. And trust me, there is nothing you can do for my cough." He walked in and looked around. "You and the weasel have got it pretty nice here huh?"

"Uh, yeah…" Hermione said, not completely paying attention. Her mind was still reeling from the recent events. Draco Malfoy was in her house, buying her boat. But this sick man in front of her was not Draco Malfoy. Or at least not the Draco Malfoy she knew. The Draco Malfoy she knew would never be remotely nice to her, and the Draco Malfoy she knew would not be looking for an 'authentic' muggle boat. "So would you like some tea?" she asked.

"Really Granger, tea? You think that I want tea. I'm Draco Malfoy, I don't do foolish things like drink tea. I don't do foolish things like buy muggle boats or see what I've never seen in the world, or fall in love, or, or… die." The last word was barely audible, and as soon as he said it, you could tell that he instantly regretted it. He looked at Hermione and whispered, "Don't tell. You can't tell. Please don't tell. Just show me the boat."

Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times before saying, "Uh, this way please?" she was more confused than ever now, but she took him ouside to show him. She led him down a sloping grassy hill do a long dock. "Down there. Come on." she pointed to the boat at the very end of the dock. They walked down to it, and Draco begin to check it out.

It was large and painted a crisp white. "STARCROSSED" was painted along the edge in clear block lettering. Draco looked at Hermione. "Stare Grossed?" Hermione glared at him.

"It says Star Crossed. As in the star crossed lovers."

"Star crossed lovers? Huh? What does that mean?"

"Forget it. It's a muggle reference to a famous play. Come one lets go inside. There is a paper in the kitchen that has all the specifications about the boat." She led him on and into the kitchen. It had nice white countertops surrounded by chestnut wood. It looked very modern. Hermione opened a drawer and pulled out a piece of paper. "Here." She said.

Draco read from it aloud:

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The Sunreef 60

length: 19 meters

breadth: 10 meters

draft: 1.4 meters

tonnage: 20 BRT

maximum number of passengers: 14 (however, we recommend only 10 to maximise your comfort)

6 cabins with double bed and en-suite shower/WC

2 bow berths for individuals (crew)

a spacious lounge with bar, kitchen and dining area

rear dining area

bow net for sunbathing lovers

top-quality navigational technology

DVD - TV

12 V /220 V power supply (EU sockets)

notebook + possible Internet connection

generator

desalination equipment – fresh water producer

diving compressor – 400 litres a minute

full range of kitchen equipment, including ice maker

PVC ZODIAC with fixed base to ensure safe transfer from diving back to the boat all standard safety elements, including life rafts.

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"Wow." Draco whistled. "That's pretty fancy. But that's what I need right?" he tried to joke but it just made him cough more.

Hermione began to talk, "Malfoy, what's going on? You are acting so strange, so un-Malfoy like. I mean, come on! You're looking for a muggle boat. A MUGGLE boat. You hate all things muggle! And you are so sickly, and your acting so nice and I just don't get it! Is this a joke? What the heck is going on! OH! "AND WHAT WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT EARLIER, ABOUT NOT TELLING? WHAT IS THIS!" She finished with her voice raised much higher then it had been when she started. She cringed. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I just-"

"I know. I know its weird, I know its different, I know I'm different. It's been six years since the war, and I'm a hell of a lot more different. And I don't feel the same why as I once did about muggles. I want to do this. I want sail as far as I can. I want to see as much as I can before I- before I die." He looked up at Hermione. "Sorry for dropping my life on you. I'll just leave now." He stood up to leave.

"Wait! Don't leave. Don't go. What do you mean dying?" Hemione was a curious person. She wanted to know more. She had to know more.

"Fine. Look. I've got a disease. A terminal one. One magic can't even fix. It's, well, I have, cancer." He sighed and turned his head away. "When I was a little boy, my grandmother was still alive. She always talked about sailing and seeing everything. It was something she wanted to do. We were going to do it. But she died. And then I went to Hogwarts. I became the perfect badboy… you know the rest. And know I'm dying, and I have to do this."

Hermione stared at him. Here was someone she'd know for years to be cruel and dark, and know he was soft, and sentimental. And dying. "I'm so sorry. Malfoy, that is aweful. And what you're doing, this sailing thing, its fantastic. I think that's great. Its brilliant in fact. I wish I could do something like that."

Draco smiled. "Thanks. I really appreciate it. Now, can I get the boat please?"

"Of course."

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-1 hour later-

Hermione had sold Draco the boat, and he had apperated to his home to gather some personal items. Hermione was doing the same thing, but she was on the boat. Down in one of the 'crew' rooms, she was collecting some old pictures of her and Ron. As she started on her way out of the room, the boa lurched a little and she lost her footing. She fell backward and whacked her head on a dresser. She slid down to the floor, and only had time to led out a small moan before everything went black.

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**OooOOoOOooo…. What happens next? You will have to read more to find out! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! Oh, if you'd like to see the boat check out the link on my profile. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. I have been having severe problems with the 'add new chapter' button on fanfiction. Thus, a long wait. Sorry. **** Also, I was reading over the earlier chapters to get the story back in my head, and wow. There's some pretty awful typos in there. Once again, sorry. I've decided to pick this story back up, and this time around should go much smoother. Thanks for reading! **

**Disclaimer: Never have I ever owned Harry Potter.**

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_As she started on her way out of the room, the boat lurched a little and she lost her footing. She fell backward and whacked her head on a dresser. She slid down to the floor, and only had time to let out a small moan before everything went black._

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Ron tentatively stuck his head into the grand doorway of his lovely home. "Hermione?" He called out. "Hermione!" There was no answer. He quickly checked through out the house. She was no where to be found. It was very uncharacteristic for her to leave with out setting out a note, but Ron didn't think about it too much. Afterall, he was hadn't wanted her to be there in the first place. A little smile played across his lips. He poked his head outside and looked around for someone.

"Ron?" A girl giggled. "Is she gone? Oh, I really hope she is. We haven't had a night together in ages."

"She's gone, she's gone… Hurry up, I don't want anyone to see you." Ron reached out and grabbed the girl's hand. She stepped inside and put her arms around his neck.

"Oh Ronnie… You've got to get rid of her!"

"You know I can't do that." His hands traveled down the side of her body.

"I know."The girl flipped a section of blonde curls behind her and placed her red lips against Ron's.

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-10 Days later, the deck of STARCROSSED-

Draco was lounging on the deck of STARCROSSED when he heard some banging coming from below him. Curious and slightly worried, and found his way down to the several cabins that he hadn't even looked at yet. It was a big boat, and he didn't need all of it.

He opened the door to the cabin that the banging was coming from. A startled Hermione stood behind it.

"Malfoy! What on earth! What is going on? Did you knock me out? I bet you did! I can't believe you. I bet this whole thing was an elaborate Deatheater scheme." She put her hands on her well defined hips and gave him her most defiant glare.

His jaw wavered up and down. "Wha-" He trailed off, unable to finish his question. He was very confused. After packing some belongings he had returned to find Hermione gone. Not wanting to wait, he had packed the boat and sailed off. That was three days ago. And now, somehow, Granger was on the boat. "I didn't- I wouldn't- how are you here? And why would you automatically assume that I'm the one to blame?" Now it was Draco's turn it glare.

Hermione smiled. "You're right. I had no reason to say that. Old prejudices I guess. Sorry." She cocked her head to one side. "But really now. Why am I here? I was just grabbing some pictures…." She looked down and noticed that the picture frame was broken on the floor. "Oh dear. I must have fallen. I must have been out for a couple of hours. I'm such a klutz."

Draco shifted uncomfortably in front of her. "Well, actually, I've been traveling for a little longer than that."

"Oh, like a day or so? I had to have really hit my head hard."

"No. Almost a week and half."

Hermione was stunned. "I'm sorry, did you say a week and a half?"

"Almost."

"There is no way for me to be out that long from just a bump on the head. That's not physically possible." Frustrated, she pushed Draco and made her way to the deck. All around her the ocean churned, a melting pot of sea life. The sea breeze whisked through her hair and she inhaled deeply. "Well, whatever happened, I'll figure it out at home. Oh Merlin. Ron must be so worried. Just wait untill he finds out I spent ten days on a boat with none other than Draco Malfoy!"

Malfoy had followed her up to the deck. "About that. Just how did you plan on getting back home?"

Hermione shrugged. "Apparating of course."

"That's going to be a problem." Draco looked down at his feet. He knew what was coming.

"Why? I can Apparate perfectly fine."

"Not on this boat."

Hermione crossed her arms. "Excuse me?"

Draco sat down on a lounge chair. He was starting to get fatigued. "This boat, I gave it some magical enhancements. Actually, I had some other people give it magically enchantments. I'm too weak to perform high-caliber magic. You'll notice that it moves on its own, with out being steered. It will take me away from civilization. The Kitchen will never be empty, and my pain-potions won't run out."

"I don't see why that affects me. I should still be able to apparate out of here, easy as pie."

"I'm dying Granger, and it is my intent to die out here. But I know my self. I'll chicken out at the last second, just apparate out of here and take my last breath in a posh bed. And that's not what I want. No one can apparate on or off of this boat."

She gasped. "Are you kidding? A spell similar to the one at Hogwarts?"

"I'm not kidding! And yes, like Hogwarts, just on a much smaller scale."

Hermione sank to the floor. "Will the spell ever wear off?" She was just beginning to understand the awkward situation, and the craziness of it was just too much.

Draco coughed into his hand. "Oh yes, just as soon as I die." His sad eyes crinkled into a half hearted smile.

"Malfoy, am I- am I- stuck here?"

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